Separation apparatus for a gas component from spent drilling mud

ABSTRACT

A method of using a separation apparatus, the separation apparatus including a fluid chamber and an inlet to the fluid chamber for receiving a gas component of spent drilling mud. The separation apparatus can also include an outlet for directing a purified gas out of the fluid chamber and a splash plate disposed in the fluid chamber adjacent to the inlet to force the gas component of the spent drilling mud downward in the fluid chamber. Furthermore, the separation apparatus includes at least one separation plate having a plurality of holes disposed therein positioned between the splash plate and the outlet to separate the purified gas from the gas component of the spent drilling mud.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 1. Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to a separation apparatus for separatinga gas component of spent drilling mud into various components/phasespresent in the gas component of the spent drilling mud.

2. Description of the Related Art

Wells for recovering oil, gas and the like regularly have to processspent drilling fluids recovered from the well. A gas component can beseparated from the spent drilling fluids to be sent to a flare stack tobe burned off. Typically, this gas component will include moisture andother components that are harmful to the flare stack.

Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus that can process the gascomponent of the spent drilling fluids so that a more pure gas componentcan be provided to the flare stack.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The disclosure of this application is directed to a separation apparatusthat includes a fluid chamber and an inlet to the fluid chamber forreceiving a gas component of spent drilling mud. The separationapparatus can also include an outlet for directing a purified gas out ofthe fluid chamber and a splash plate disposed in the fluid chamberadjacent to the inlet to force the gas component of the spent drillingmud downward in the fluid chamber. Furthermore, the separation apparatusincludes at least one separation plate having a plurality of holesdisposed therein positioned between the splash plate and the outlet toseparate the purified gas from the gas component of the spent drillingmud. The disclosure is also directed toward a method of using theseparation apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view with a see-through portion of aseparation apparatus constructed in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view with a see-through portion of theseparation apparatus constructed in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 3 is another perspective view with a see-through portion of theseparation apparatus constructed in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an inside portion of the separationapparatus constructed in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is another perspective view of another portion of the separationapparatus constructed in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is another perspective view of yet another portion of theseparation apparatus constructed in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

Referring to FIGS. 1-4, there is shown a separation apparatus 10 forremoving a small fluid component contained in a gas component that ispresent in spent drilling mud to create a purified gas component. In oneembodiment, the separation apparatus 10 can be a catch tank thatprocesses the gas component from the spent drilling mud to remove thesmall fluid component prior to directing the flow of the purified gascomponent to a flare stack. The purified gas component can be acombination of air and gaseous hydrocarbons.

The separation apparatus 10 includes a fluid chamber 12 for collectingthe gas component of the spent drilling mud, an inlet 14 for deliveringthe gas component of the spent drilling mud to the fluid chamber 12 anda gas outlet 16 for transporting the purified gas component of the gascomponent of the spent drilling mud away from the fluid chamber 12. Theinlet 14 and the gas outlet 16 can be positioned anywhere on the fluidchamber 12 such that the purified gas component of the gas component ofthe spent drilling mud can be efficiently separated from the gascomponent of the spent drilling mud. In one embodiment, the inlet 14 ispositioned on an upper portion of a first end 18 of the fluid chamber 12and the gas outlet 16 is positioned on an upper portion of the secondend 20 of the fluid chamber 12. It should be understood that in additionto the first end 18 and the second end 20, the fluid chamber 12 includesa first side 22, a second side 24, a bottom side 26 and a top side 28.

The separation apparatus 10 further includes a diffuser apparatus 30positioned adjacent to the inlet 14 of the fluid chamber 12 to dispersethe gas component of the spent drilling mud entering the fluid chamber12. The diffuser apparatus 30 can be suspended from the inside of thetop side 28 of the fluid chamber 12 or it can be supported from theinside of the bottom side 26 of the fluid chamber 12. The diffuserapparatus 30 can include multiple vertically and/or horizontallydisposed rod elements 32 to contact the small fluid component that maybe in the gas component of the spent drilling mud and disperse the smallfluid component. The rod elements 32 can have any shape desirable suchthat they are capable of dispersing the small fluid component. The rodelements 32 can be solid or tubular and have any cross-sectional shapeknown in the art, such as a circle, a square, any polygon having five ormore sides, a triangle, a rectangle, and the like. In anotherembodiment, the rod elements 32 can be lengths of angle iron.

In another embodiment, the gas component of the spent drilling mud thatis forced through the diffuser apparatus 30 contacts a splash plate 33that forces the gas component of the spent drilling mud downward intothe fluid chamber 12. A portion of the small fluid component adheres tothe splash plate 33, collects there and then drips therefrom down intothe fluid chamber 12. Similar to the diffuser apparatus 30, the splashplate 33 can be suspended vertically from the inside of the top side 28of the fluid chamber 12 or it can be supported from the inside of thebottom side 26 of the fluid chamber 12.

Referring now to FIGS. 4-5, the separation apparatus 10 further includesa filtering apparatus 34 disposed adjacent to the gas outlet 16 toprevent everything except the purified gas component of the gascomponent of the spent drilling mud to enter the gas outlet 16. Thefiltering apparatus 34 can be suspended from the inside of the top side28 of the fluid chamber 12 or supported from the inside of the bottomside 26 of the fluid chamber 12. In another embodiment, the filteringapparatus 34 can be supported by the inside of the second end 20 of thefluid chamber 12. In yet another embodiment, the filtering apparatus 34is supported by the inside of the second end 20 of the fluid chamber 12by extension elements 36 that position the filtering apparatus 34 apredetermined distance off the inside of the second end 20 of the fluidchamber 12. This predetermined distance allows the purified gascomponent of the gas component of the spent drilling mud to flow betweenthe filtering apparatus 34 and the inside portion of the second side 20of the fluid chamber 12. In a further embodiment, the filteringapparatus 34 is sized such that it is larger than the diameter of thegas outlet 16.

In one embodiment, the filtering apparatus 34 includes a plate 38 ofmaterial that only allows the gas component to enter the gas outlet 16by passing between the filtering apparatus 34 and the inside portion ofthe second side 20 of the fluid chamber 12. In a further embodiment, thefiltering apparatus 34 can include a filter portion 40 disposed withinthe plate 38 and adjacent to the gas outlet 16. The filter portion 40can be designed in any manner so the purified gas component of the gascomponent of the spent drilling mud can pass through the filter portion40 and into the gas outlet 16 while preventing any other components ofthe gas component of the spent drilling mud from passing therethrough.The filter portion 40 of the filtering apparatus 34 can be made ofstainless wire mesh.

The separation apparatus 10 further includes at least one separationplate 42 disposed inside the fluid chamber 12 to breaking foam that maybe present in the gas component of the spent drilling mud due to a soapinjection into the well during a drilling operation. The separationplates 42 have holes 44 which provide a mechanism for the purified gascomponent of the foam present in the fluid chamber 12 delivered from theinlet 14 to pass upward therethrough as the bubbles in the foam burst.The purified gas component present in the bubbles in the foam thenescapes the fluid chamber 12 via the gas outlet 16.

The separation plates 42 are suspended in the fluid chamber 12 betweenthe splash plate 33 and the second end 20 of the fluid chamber 12. Eachseparation plate 42 has a first end 46 disposed adjacent to the splashplate 33, a second end 48 disposed adjacent to the second end 20 of thefluid chamber 12, a first side 50 disposed adjacent to the first side 22of the fluid chamber 12 and a second side 52 disposed adjacent to thesecond side 24 of the fluid chamber 12. The separation plates 42 canextend from the first side 22 of the fluid chamber 12 to the second side24 of the fluid chamber 12.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the separation plates 42are angled downward in the fluid chamber 12 as the separation plates 42extend from the first end 46 of the separation plates 42 toward thesecond end 48 of the separation plates 42. The downward angle of theseparation plates 42 positions the separation plates 42 between thebottom portion of the fluid chamber 12 and the gas outlet 16. Thisplacement of the separation plates 42 forces the gas component of thespent drilling mud that is forced downward in the fluid chamber 12 viathe splash plate 33 to have to contact the separation plates 42 beforepassing out of the fluid chamber 12 via the gas outlet 16. In anotherembodiment, the fluid chamber 12 can have multiple separation plates 42and the size of the holes 44 in the separation plates 42 can varydepending upon the design parameters of the desired fluid chamber 12.

In yet another embodiment, each separation plate 42 includes a removableplate portion 54 disposed therein. FIGS. 4 and 6 show the plates 42wherein the removable plate portion 54 has been withdrawn from the fluidchamber 12. The removable plate portion 54 can be removed so that anindividual can remove the removable plate portion 54 and gain convenientaccess to the internal portion of the fluid chamber 12 via an accessport 56 disposed in the top side 28 of the fluid chamber 12. Theremovable plate portions 54 also allow for varying the size of the holes44 disposed in the separation plates 42 by changing out the removableplate portions 54. The removable plate portion 54 can be supportedwithin the separation plates 42 and held in place by any manner known inthe art.

In one embodiment, the gas chamber 12 can also include a secondaryoutlet 58 to remove any remaining components of the gas component of thespent drilling mud separated from the purified gas component. Thesecondary outlet 58 can be a clean out line wherein a vacuum truck canbe hooked up to suck out any materials that have built up in the bottomof the fluid chamber 12. Additionally, the separation apparatus 10 caninclude a tertiary outlet 60 for the removal of fluid from the fluidchamber 12. The tertiary outlet 60 can be operated via a float systemthat automatically opens the tertiary outlet 60 when the fluid in thefluid chamber 12 gets above a predetermined depth. In yet anotherembodiment, the separation apparatus 10 can include a relief outlet 62for the removal of fluid from the fluid chamber 12 if the fluid chamber12 received too much fluid in too short of a time frame.

From the above description, it is clear that the present disclosure iswell adapted to carry out the objectives and to attain the advantagesmentioned herein as well as those inherent in the disclosure. Whilepresently preferred embodiments have been described herein, it will beunderstood that numerous changes may be made which will readily suggestthemselves to those skilled in the art and which are accomplished withinthe spirit of the disclosure and claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A separation apparatus, the apparatus comprising:a fluid chamber; an inlet to the fluid chamber for receiving a gascomponent of spent drilling mud; an outlet for directing a purified gasout of the fluid chamber; a splash plate disposed in the fluid chamberadjacent to the inlet to force the gas component of the spent drillingmud downward in the fluid chamber; at least one vertically orhorizontally disposed rod elements disposed in the fluid chamber betweenthe inlet and the splash plate to disperse the gas component of thespent drilling mud entering the fluid chamber; and at least oneseparation plate extending from the splash plate and having a pluralityof holes disposed therein, the entire at least one separation platepositioned between the splash plate and the outlet to separate purifiedgas from the gas component of the spent drilling mud and the splashplate located entirely between the inlet and the at least one separationplate.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the splash plate isvertically disposed in the fluid chamber.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1wherein the rod elements have a cross-sectional shape selected from thegroup consisting of circle, oval, square, rectangle, a polygon with fiveor more sides, and a combination thereof.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1wherein the rod elements are lengths of angle iron.
 5. The apparatus ofclaim 1 further comprising a filtering apparatus disposed in the fluidchamber adjacent to the outlet for preventing any moisture or debrisfrom exiting the fluid chamber.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein thefiltering apparatus comprises a plate portion and a filter portion. 7.The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the separation plate includes aremovable plate portion that can be removed to allow access into thefluid chamber by an individual.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein theseparation plate is angularly disposed in the fluid chamber andsupported on one end by the splash plate.
 9. A method, the methodcomprising: passing a gas component of spent drilling mud to aseparation apparatus, the separation apparatus comprising: a fluidchamber; an inlet to the fluid chamber for receiving a gas component ofspent drilling mud; an outlet for directing a purified gas out of thefluid chamber; a splash plate disposed in the fluid chamber adjacent tothe inlet to force the gas component of the spent drilling mud downwardin the fluid chamber; at least one vertically or horizontally disposedrod elements disposed in the fluid chamber between the inlet and thesplash plate to disperse the gas component of the spent drilling mudentering the fluid chamber; and at least one separation plate extendingfrom the splash plate and having a plurality of holes disposed therein,the entire at least one separation plate positioned between the splashplate and the outlet to separate purified gas from the gas component ofthe spent drilling mud and the splash plate located entirely between theinlet and the at least one separation plate.
 10. The method of claim 9wherein the splash plate is vertically disposed in the fluid chamber.11. The method of claim 9 wherein the rod elements have across-sectional shape selected from the group consisting of circle,oval, square, rectangle, a polygon with five or more sides, and acombination thereof.
 12. The method of claim 9 wherein the rod elementsare lengths of angle iron.
 13. The method of claim 9 further comprisinga filtering apparatus disposed in the fluid chamber adjacent to theoutlet for preventing any moisture or debris from exiting the fluidchamber.
 14. The method of claim 13 wherein the filtering apparatuscomprises a plate portion and a filter portion.
 15. The method of claim9 wherein the separation plate includes a removable plate portion thatcan be removed to allow access into the fluid chamber by an individual.16. The method of claim 9 wherein the separation plate is angularlydisposed in the fluid chamber and supported on one end by the splashplate.